Hot Chocolate
by Aninat131
Summary: Jewel's always been the serious one. But after drinking some hot chocolate, she gets high and escapes, prompting a massive search and rescue mission from the rest. It becomes a race against time to find her, before someone else looking for her does...
1. High

**A/N:** This is the sequel to my first Rio fic, 'The Only One'. People seemed to like the hot chocolate scene, and someone urged me to write a fic about Jewel and hot chocolate. I thought it would be interesting, so here it is. Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: High<strong>

The setting sun left an orange hue across the Brazilian sky. Blu sat alone in a small clearing, dreaming lazily. He was alone. Jewel had told him that she was going off to do something, and had left early in the afternoon. She had specifically told him not to follow her. Blu wondered where everyone was. Rafael was gone…somewhere, Nico and Pedro were nowhere to be seen…in fact, it seemed like the entire forest had gone quiet.

"Blu! Blu!" a voice yelled frantically from above. Blu looked up, startled. Nico flapped rapidly, his face clearly in a state of panic.

"Nico? What is it?"

"It's Linda! She's…she's…!"

"What? Linda? What happened?" he demanded, straightening himself instantly.

"Oh man…it's…just come with me, okay?" he took off. All other thoughts vanished from his mind other than Linda. In his 15 years with her, he'd only seen her sick a handful of times. From the way Nico was shaking, he knew it couldn't be good. He took off after him immediately.

They raced through the still forest and into the sleeping city. With every passing moment, Blu's heart pounded faster. All he could focus on was the store, but he couldn't see inside; the interior was shrouded in darkness.

Nico squeezed through a slight gap in the front door. Blu struggled for a while, but he managed to squeeze through. He wondered why it wasn't able to move at all. It was as if someone had jammed it in that position deliberately.

"Nico?" Blu called out. He suddenly realised his yellow canary friend was gone. As if coordinated for some cheap horror film, the door to the store shut by itself.

"H-hello?" He said, his voice filled with trepidation. There was no answer.

He inched forward slowly, looking around. Shadows seemed to dance about around him, and he recoiled instinctively.

"Linda?"

"Blu…" a throaty voice whispered. It sounded like someone was calling out while being strangled.

"Is anyone there?" he said, raising his voice a notch. Still, there was no reply. Something rustled in the next room, and he turned towards the open door, his feathers standing on end. The longer he didn't move, the more he felt scared. He sucked it up and flew up onto the table, hoping to get a better view of his surroundings. Then, something tapped him on his shoulder. He wheeled.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

"Aaah!" Blu screamed. He wobbled, then passed out.

The lights came on. Everybody in the room—Tulio, Linda, Nico, Pedro, and Jewel—looked at Blu, who was out cold. Nico flew over to Pedro and slapped him over his head.

"I told you to congratulate him _after _we turn on the lights!"

"Oops."

* * *

><p>When Blu finally came to, he saw Jewel standing over him, smiling.<p>

"Hey, it's not nice to pass out on your birthday, Blu."

"My…birthday?" he stammered. Glancing up, he could see everybody looking back at him warmly.

"Yes, your birthday, genius."

"You planned all this?" he asked.

"Actually, it's more of collaboration between all of us. We thought we'd surprise you today. It _is _today, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Today…" he trailed off for a second. "Today was the day that Linda saved me, 15 years ago."

"_16, _Blu." Jewel corrected, smiling.

Blu smiled back, thoroughly impressed. It seemed Jewel's attitude towards Tulio and Linda was improving.

"Why isn't Rafael here?" Blu asked, looking around.

"He's got his children to take care of. He said he'll be here later anyway," Nico replied.

"Speaking of children…" Pedro said, glancing at Jewel.

"Relax, hotshot." Jewel playfully pushed him onto the floor. "They'll come, sooner or later."

"So Blu," Nico started, "how'd you spend all your birthdays before this?"

"Well…"

Jewel rolled her eyes and looked for something else to do. She'd already heard this story before. She considered going to Tulio and Linda, but they were busy moving bowls of food onto the table. She hopped off into the kitchen, looking for something to drink.

What greeted her in the kitchen made her eyes light up—there were six cups of hot chocolate sitting on the stove. Wisps of steam rose from the cups, and they seemed to call out to her. She flew up and inhaled the sweet, tantalizing smell, her eyes closing in bliss as she did so.

_Wow…it smells so nice…_

Her stomach rumbled a little, and she remembered not really eating a lot since lunch.

_Well, I don't think it'll hurt if I take my share first._

She took a cup and brought it to her beak, letting the warm liquid flow down her throat and into her stomach. It was pure joy. She felt like she was floating above the clouds with every drop of sweetness.

But all good things have to end sooner or later.

Before she knew it, the cup was empty, drink and marshmallows. It wasn't enough. She wanted more, but she knew there wasn't enough for her to take another. Still, the feeling was burning inside her, and staring at the remaining cups didn't help either.

_Maybe, just a little bit more…_

Looking around to ensure no one was watching, she took another cup to her beak and started drinking.

* * *

><p>"What are you doing, Tulio?" Linda asked, looking over his shoulder. His fingers were rapidly moving about, typing a message on his phone. He answered, without looking up or stopping.<p>

"Sending some instructions to my colleagues. We're testing something new." He looked up now. "You know how some birds are injured, as in paralyzed?"

"Yes, why?"

"Well, we've developed an effective medicine to restore limb movement." His eyes started to glimmer. "It's much more effective than the one we've been using so far. Unfortunately, there's a problem; we just can't seem to—"

"Whoo-hoo!"

They both paused and looked up at the sudden high-pitched squawking. Jewel had burst from the kitchen at an incredible speed, and she seemed to be in hysterics. An effusive grin was plastered across her face, and she did multiple cartwheels and flips in the air consecutively.

"Jewel!" Blu said, alarmed. "What's wrong?"

"What? Nothing's wrong!" she replied gleefully. "This is so fun! Isn't this great, Blu? I feel like I'm flying!"

"Um…you are flying." Nico commented.

"It's great!" she squealed, not hearing his words. She did another cartwheel, before diving down towards the table. Nico yelped and tried to run for cover, but at the last moment, she pulled up, laughing uncontrollably.

"This is amazing! I…I feel amazing!"

"Jewel!" Blu called, worriedly. Calm down! You're going to hurt yourself!"

"Are you kidding? This is great! I'm never coming down!"

The two humans in the room did not understand the exchange of words, but they definitely had a reason to be alarmed when Jewel almost flew straight into a pointed-down knife sticking in a cheesecake. They scrambled to their feet and tried to grab her, but she slipped right through their fingers every time.

"Jewel!" Blu gasped as he just barely missed her again. "What happened? Why are you acting like this?"

"Why not?" Brilliant answer. She laughed once more as Tulio jumped…and missed her by a good few inches.

"Guys, we have to corner her!" Blu yelled. Pedro and Nico nodded and flew up, surrounding her. Below them, Linda and Tulio unknowingly were blocking off any chance of her going for a low dive. Her space to fly was diminishing, and although she was still flying quite randomly, she was unconsciously being backed against the wall.

Glancing about, she noticed the window in the room was half-open. The others followed her gaze, and they immediately knew what she was thinking. Blu and Linda lunged at the same time, but she was already flying towards the window, and they only ended up colliding into each other.

Pedro was closer to the window, and he flew right in front of the opening, spreading his wings.

"Hold it!"

Right as he said that, Jewel bashed straight into him, sending him flying across the room and into the kitchen, hitting the wall, hard. Seemingly unfazed by the obstruction, she flew out into the evening sky.

"Jewel!" Blu yelled, pulling himself free from under Linda, who was straightening her glasses.

"What was that, man? 'Hold it'?" Nico berated, flying down to Pedro, who was on his back, part of him splayed across the wall.

"Well, what did you want me to say? 'You shall not pass'?" Pedro retorted.

"Guys, stop it! We've got to find Jewel, now!"

"What happened to her, anyway? She just suddenly went loco," Pedro said, pulling himself to his feet.

"Um…guys? I think I know," Nico called out. Blu and Pedro flew up to the kitchen counter.

"What is it?"

"I think Jewel did this." he pointed at the two empty cups on the counter.

"She drank two cups of hot chocolate," Blu said flatly. "How does that explain why she's so happy?" Then, it struck him.

"A sugar rush?" he asked in disbelief. "But how?"

"Maybe she can't handle her sugar well," Pedro offered.

"It's two small cups of chocolate."

"I don't get it either," Nico said. "I didn't think sugar rushes could make you act like that. Never seemed to affect Pedro that way, and he eats way too much sugar-filled food."

"Hey, it's not that much! It's just…a little more than normal."

"Whatever it is, we need to find her, and fast."

"Blu!" Linda ran into the kitchen. Just like she always did, she knew what he was thinking.

"Let's go, guys!" The three of them took off, just as Tulio walked into the kitchen.

"Oh boy…" he saw the table. "Jewel, she—" he halted midsentence. He walked over and examined one of the cups, his brow creasing worriedly. He set the cup down, suddenly staring into space.

"What's wrong, Tulio?"

"…I have to hurry." He turned to Linda. "This is bad. Linda, I have to go."

"Okay, I'm coming with—"

"No, please. I need you to stay here in case she comes back." He chewed his lip. "Call me if anything happens."

"Tulio?"

"I'm not going to let Jewel go, Linda. I'm not going to let anything happen to her." The resolve in his eyes left no room for argument. Grabbing his coat, Tulio ran through the doorway out onto the pavement, where his slightly beat up motorcycle—the one Fernando traded his jeep for—stood. He revved up the engine and gunned it down the street.

He still looked extremely awkward driving a motorbike, but he managed to steady himself as it bounced about the asphalt, heading towards his destination.

_I need to get to the treatment room._

He knew exactly what was wrong with Jewel, and he hoped he could get to her in time before it was too late.

* * *

><p>"Where did she go?" Blu said out loud, as if expecting her to suddenly whisk past after saying it. They were flying high above the Rio buildings, searching for her. So far, they hadn't seen anything yet.<p>

"I don't know. Rio is big."

"Thanks, Pedro," Blu sarcastically snapped. He immediately regretted the outburst. He was just concerned about her.

"Look, she's probably all excited and happy right now, which means she should still be flying about somewhere. We should keep our heads up." Nico suggested.

"You're right." Blu took a deep breath. "Let's go."

They flew for a few minutes in silence, scanning the expanse of land that was the city. Inwardly, Blu was grateful that he could fly. He couldn't imagine looking for her on foot. That would have been too crazy, even for him.

Nico suddenly cut the silence.

"What are you looking down for, Pedro? I thought we said to look up."

"Yeah, but I can see her right down there on the road."

"Look, you can't just—what!" Blu snapped his neck downwards so fast he thought it would dislocate. True enough, Jewel was flying somewhat erratically above the road, barely avoiding incoming cars and trucks. At times, her twists and turns came just within a hair's length of the motorized vehicles.

"Jewel!" Blu called out, diving at his fastest speed down towards her.

She didn't seem to hear his frantic screams, as she continued weaving through the congested roads. Some drivers were honking their horns, others just cursed in Portuguese or English.

The female blue macaw didn't feel fear in the slightest. She somewhat had complete focus, and yet she felt like a million tiny dots were flashing inside her brain, distracting her. She decided that she was probably focusing, owing to the fact that she was still alive.

The cars suddenly seemed to stop coming. The road in front of her was empty. She wondered what had happened. But before she could ponder over it, someone on the sidewalk let out a terrified scream.

Blu, Nico, and Pedro realized that they weren't getting closer to Jewel in any way. She was flying much faster than them. Blu, because of his inexperience, Nico, because of his size, and Pedro, also because of his size, were unable to get closer to her.

Then, they saw it.

Before she knew it, out of the corner of the road came two black sports cars. That didn't faze them in the slightest. What did faze them was the object they were towing. It was attached by a length of what appeared to be rope. It was a huge metal box, easily weighing a ton. A horrible grinding sound emanated from the friction between the block and the road.

"Ah! Pull up, pull up!" Blu willed himself. Unfortunately, when he panicked, everything he'd learnt about flying escaped his mind. He started spiralling helplessly towards the incoming metal face, which was only a few feet away, and racing towards him menacingly.

"Blu!" Nico and Pedro yelled. They had already flown to safety, but after seeing Blu's predicament, they flew back to him at full speed. But the box was approaching fast. It grew bigger in Blu's eyes at an incredible rate. He couldn't move his limbs. He was just sailing…straight into death.

"No!"

Nico and Pedro crashed haphazardly into him, sending the three tumbling to the side of the road. The metal box just grazed Blu's back as it screeched by.

For a moment, it was all silent, the only sound being their heavy breathing. Pedro was on his back, a little shell-shocked from their narrow escape. Nico didn't look much better. He looked pale, his body shuddering.

"Are…are you okay, Blu?" He stammered.

"I'm…I'm fine."

"What in the world was a huge metal box doing in the middle of the road?" Nico exclaimed. Just then, about a dozen police cars screamed by, their sirens blaring.

"Does this happen often?" Pedro asked.

"Of course it does! Can't you see the hundreds of thousands of metal boxes running through the streets?" Nico said.

Pedro looked at the road, then looked back.

"No." Nico collapsed in exasperation.

Blu felt surprisingly lucid. He glanced about the empty road, and then looked up into the empty sky.

Jewel was gone.

"Jewel!" he cried out. He flew up, looking about frantically. She was nowhere to be seen. An empty, hollow feeling manifested inside of him, and it was killing him. Jewel. The first, and only bird he'd ever fallen for. She had disappeared, and he couldn't stop her.

"What should we do?" Pedro asked.

"We need some help. We'll never be able to do this on our own."

They exchanged glances for a moment.

"Rafael! RAFAEL!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** As always, comments are appreciated.


	2. Going Down

**A/N: **Congratulations to those who saw the references in the last chapter. Here's the second chapter of Hot Chocolate. See if you can find any more references in this chapter! :)

And by the way, some of you might just recognize somebody familiar here...

Thanks to Firehound427, Mildirk, Mord44, WolfOnFyre, side-fish, and Elyahu for reviewing.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Going Down<strong>

Jewel flew through the evening sky, completely in bliss. She thought she heard somebody calling her name while she was on the road, but when she looked behind, there was no one. She had shrugged and continued flying low to the ground. She was approaching the most crowded area in the district.

* * *

><p>Pelé Restaurant was a little roadside café in the most crowded district of Rio. It was a quaint little establishment that served simple, yet delicious Brazilian cuisine. Although largely unknown to tourists, it was very popular with many locals.<p>

It was 7.36p.m., and the usual dinner crowd was starting to fill up the restaurant. A healthy buzz surrounded the people as they discussed the day's work, the weather, and most of all, Carnival. They slapped each other on their backs, laughing and joking heartily.

Lexus Quirk felt pleased with himself that he managed to find the café. He was a Californian, on holiday to escape his hectic workload. He didn't know where to go, but the city of Rio seemed to stretch its arms out to him. He had immediately signed up for the trip, much to the disapproval of his colleagues.

"I don't think you'll like Rio, Lexus." That was what they had said.

_Well, so far it's been quite nice, _he thought. The locals were very friendly, and very passionate about their country. People Lexus didn't even know would chat up a storm with him, and most would launch into their own little stories about their Cidade Maravilhosa.

He sighed, leaning back in his chair in sweet repose. He had chosen well; his table was next to the road, away from the clutter and noise within the restaurant itself. The lone candle on the table did its best to illuminate the darkening sky, producing a calming effect.

Watching the multitude of people walking the streets, he wondered why his life couldn't have been more like that. Relaxed, calming. His job and life in California was nowhere near this. He decided to push those thoughts away and focus on his holiday. He reached for a bun on the table, but before he could take it, he winced in pain.

His hand had been pierced by a thumbtack a two years ago, and although it was healing, it still hurt, serving as a reminder of what happened then.

_Stupid animals._

Amazingly, he had been led on a wild goose chase by a cat, and a day later, he'd been bowled over by a dog, which was how the thumbtack had pierced his hand. He already hated animals to begin with, and with those two events, his loathing towards them grew even more.

Then, there was what happened a year ago...

"Sir? Your meal is ready." A waiter—a slim, well-trimmed young man—said, gracefully bowing and placing the plate of chicken on the table.

"Ah, thank you very much." He replied. A beep emanated from his phone, and he reached into his shirt pocket to pull it out. But when he did, a small silver necklace dropped out along with it and landed on the table with a soft thud. He picked it off the table, examining it.

He chuckled, suddenly remembering where it came from. It was a charm necklace, said to bring good luck to the holder. He'd bought it off an old peddler who claimed to 'know these things'. He decided to humour her, and bought it, since it wasn't terribly expensive. It was a silver chain, connected to a small empty metal compartment shaped like an ovoid.

He scrutinized it a little bit more, recalling her instructions. She said that in order for the good luck to happen, he needed to place something personal and valuable inside. He reached into his pockets, looking for anything that would fit into the compartment. He couldn't find anything other than the coins in his purse. Then, his hands brushed across the keys next to his wallet.

_My keys? _He thought about it. Technically, they were valuable because they were the ticket to his car and house back in California. Shrugging, he unhooked his car key from the key ring and dropped it into the compartment, shaking it a little, as if expecting something to happen. Nothing did.

"Maybe it takes time," he mused to himself. He hung it around his neck and picked up his fork and knife. But before he could take a single bite, he heard chatter from outside. There were excited voices talking. He craned his neck to see, but the crowd was blocking his view. He tried ignoring it by beginning his meal, but curiosity eventually got the better of him, and he stood up.

It was the biggest mistake of his holiday.

Before he knew what was happening, something blue crashed into his face with a startled squawk. He yelled, falling to the floor and thrashing his arms wildly. He could feel feathers rubbing against his skin, which gave him a pretty good idea what had just collided into him.

"What in the world?" he grunted.

Twisting his body so he was now on his back, he reached blindly in front of him and grabbed the bird forcefully, pulling it off his face. He was surprised to see a beautiful blue macaw in his hands. He remembered vaguely someone telling him about this particular species of bird. It was supposed to be an endangered species or something like that.

Still, he had little to no care for it as it struggled in his hands. Then, it clamped its beak down on his finger. He screamed in pain, releasing his grip on it. It flapped wildly, seemingly caught on something. Lexus could feel it too. Something was tugging at his neck.

Looking down slightly, he could see that his necklace had caught on its foot, preventing it from escaping. It flapped harder, and with a snap, a small part of the necklace broke, and the blue macaw flew free, with the necklace still caught on its leg.

Lexus could only watch in horror as the bird flew further and further, with his car flying away with it. He scrambled to his feet and took a swipe at the chain, but he missed it ever so slightly.

"Not again!" he cursed under his breath. "Why does this always happen to me?"

Burning with anger, he snatched up the dinner knife off the table and ran in hot pursuit after the blue macaw.

_I'm not letting it get away._

* * *

><p>Evening was not an easy time for Rafael. Actually, no time was ever easy for Rafael. Not when he had 17 hyperactive children to take care of. He was panting, trying his best to prevent his children from killing themselves. It sounded like an overstatement, but he knew better. When left alone, they could probably tear even metal apart. He had yet to test that theory though.<p>

"Sofia! Stop chasing your brother! Carlos, get down from—" he couldn't finish before Carlos jumped straight into his eye.

"Ow! What did I tell you about the eye!"

"Rafael!" He turned as Blu burst into the clearing, looking totally spent. He was trembling, as if he'd just gone through a tornado.

"Blu! My good amigo!" Rafael greeted. With 6 children dangling from his head, he walked over to Blu and patted him on the back. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at Linda's?"

"It's Jewel." His eyes looked distant, clouded with worry. As a close friend, Rafael knew something was definitely wrong.

"What happened?"

Breathing heavily, Blu explained the situation. Rafael listened as intently as he could with his children jumping around his body.

"Okay, I understand. But Blu, I can't just leave my children alone here."

"Well, can't I just—"

"That's a great idea! You can take care of them while I'll go look for Jewel."

"Wait, what?"

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. I'll meet up with Nico and Pedro, and we'll look for Jewel together."

"Then, that means—"

"Alright kids, uncle Blu will be taking care of you for now. Listen to him, alright?"

"Wait a minute," Blu said, backing away slightly. "Rafael!"

"Don't worry Blu, I'll be back soon! Just stay here and make sure they don't kill each other."

"Them? What about me? Rafael!" but Rafael was already gone.

Blu gulped nervously, a cold sweat running down his head. He slowly turned to face 17 curious, grinning faces.

"Blu!" they chirped, swarming over him.

"AHHH!"

Meanwhile, back at the bookshop, Linda paced around nervously, waiting for Jewel. She stopped for a moment, staring out the window towards the forest.

_Did I just hear Blu?_

She shook her head.

_I'm probably just imagining things. _She went back to pacing around the room.

* * *

><p>Tulio burst into the treatment room loudly, knocking over some old newspapers in the process.<p>

"Whoops." He reprimanded himself for being so careless. He forgot that there were still some injured birds resting in the adjacent room. Thankfully, nothing appeared to have been disturbed.

He strode steadily but quietly through the deserted room, wondering why there wasn't anybody around. He decided that they probably went out for a quick bite; it was dinner time, after all.

Reaching the medicine cabinet, he unlocked it with the key in his pocket and slowly pulled it open. Rows and rows of bottles lined the shelves, some filled with liquid, others filled with pills. He ignored them and went straight to the bottom shelf. A stack of papers surrounded several boxes of files. He pulled out the stack of papers, flipping through them quickly.

A loud clang reverberated across the room. He wheeled, seeing nothing but the empty expanse of space. He shook his head. _It's nothing, _he thought.

He suddenly spotted what he was looking for. He reached out and grabbed the bottle of pills, which was clearly labelled. Still, he examined it thoroughly, just to make sure it was the right one.

Satisfied, he tucked it into his coat pocket and left the treatment room, locking the door behind him. He never noticed the other human shadow in the room.

* * *

><p>Jewel felt amazing. The more she flew, the more her body seemed to react positively. Her unexpected encounter had sent her heart racing the fastest she'd ever felt. She'd only felt that way once before, when…<p>

…she paused mid-flight.

_When I was falling with Blu._

A little part of her head twisted itself inside her, sending a small sharp sensation through her mind. She shook it off.

A loud drum beat caught her attention, sending a shiver of excitement up her spine. The music seemed to call out to her, calling out to her Brazilian blood. Like in a trance, she flew towards the source of music: The Branch.

She landed in the middle of a cheering, dancing crowd of birds. She seemed to fit in perfectly with them. Before she knew it, she was moving her body to the rhythm. The crowd seemed to move as one, and she was a part of it. With every beat, she felt her mind lifting off.

Everybody moved collectively as one. Their heads bobbed, their tails shook. They laughed, they cheered. They were having the time of their lives.

Jewel raised her wings, shifted her feet, and cheered with the dancing crowd. Everything was perfect.

Then, it all came crashing down.

It started as a muted warm sensation, but it slowly evolved to something more. Something seemed to manifest inside her head, giving her a massive headache. She stumbled across the floor of bodies. The throbbing in her head was growing in intensity now with the pounding of the music, and she tried to move away from the noise. But she couldn't get through the mass of birds in her way.

_What's happening…?_

She tried to call out for them to move, but her voice was drowned out by the volume of the samba music.

"Blu…" suddenly, she remembered. Everything started coming back to her: the drinking, the 'high' feeling she felt…everything was tumbling messily around her mind.

With a flare of determination, she pushed blindly through the crowd, who did not notice her plight. A multitude of birds passed her eye as she floundered about, looking for a way out. Suddenly, a rush of cool air greeted her face, and she was outside.

The discomfort was almost unbearable now. The world was spinning, and Jewel struggled to find her bearings.

_I need to get back…to Tulio…to Blu…_

She opened her wings and launched herself off the ground. The moment that happened, the pain in her mind intensified. She cried out, spiralling towards the ground, which she could not see. There was an impact, cracking of wood, and a horrible stinging sensation that shot through her wing.

She had landed onto a stack of broken wooden crates.

Breathing heavily, she looked at her right wing. It was bloody, with splinters sticking out in several places. She whimpered, realizing she was unable to move at all. Her injury, combined with her spinning head, didn't give her any hope of leaving the dark alley.

All alone, Jewel lay bleeding in the darkness.

* * *

><p>Lexus stormed through the streets, his shirt completely drenched with his sweat. His was sweaty, sticky, and angry. Needless to say, it wasn't a good day for him.<p>

_When I find that bird, I'm going to break its neck, _he seethed.

The knife was still clutched in his hands, and he felt it slipping slightly due to his sweaty palms. He stopped walking for a moment to wipe the knife on his pants. On the ground, he could see his reflection in a puddle of water. His dark brown eyes were tired, a reflection of his life.

A low rumbling caught his attention, and he looked up, as a man riding a motorcycle drove past him in the opposite direction. He was worriedly looking around for something, but Lexus didn't know what. Something about the helmetless man caught Lexus' eye.

_That man…isn't he Tulio Monteiro? That…ornithologist guy._

Lexus remembered reading an article about him the day before. He was on the front page of the newspapers, although Lexus didn't have time to read the article in detail. He wondered why such a prominent figure was scouring the streets. Perhaps he was looking for something. He shrugged, gripping the knife in his hand tighter.

Then something caught his eye.

He squatted down next to the puddle. There was a blue feather on the ground, and it was distinctly familiar. He picked it up, twirling it around.

_Yes, it definitely belongs to that bird._

He stood up, tucking the feather into his shirt pocket. He was close. He could feel it.

* * *

><p>Blu hardly flinched now. Well, he couldn't move most of his body as the kids decided that he was a perfect trampoline for them to jump on. His mind wandered off to Jewel. He couldn't stop worrying about her. Rafael had assured him that he would find Jewel quickly, but somehow, in Blu's gut, he could feel something was wrong. Maybe it was the constant jumping that was rearranging his insides.<p>

He gulped, trying to shake it off, but he couldn't. The feeling was strong, strong enough that he knew he couldn't stay and just wait. He turned to the children, who were staring at him with curious looks on their faces. They wondered why he wasn't freaking out like all the other birds who played with them. It was probably because of the head trauma.

He took a deep breath, hoping he wasn't going to regret this.

"Kids, do you want to go into town?"

"Yes!" they cheered, jumping up and down jubilantly…on him.

"Well, if you want to go, you'll have to get off me first," he wheezed. They climbed off him, and he slowly stood up. The moment he did so, he fell straight back down again face-first into the dirt.

"Why aren't we going yet?" They whined.

"Wait, just…give me…a moment…body…painful…"

"No!" one of them yelled. He hopped over and ripped out a healthy portion of Blu's feathers.

"Alright! We're going!" He shot up immediately and flew towards the centre of the city, with all 17 of them flying close. He gulped, knowing that if Rafael or Eva ever found about this, they'd probably kill him.

It was 8.29 p.m., and the sun had long since set. The lights had come on all around town, but they were not strong enough to light the sky up like the sun could. Blu knew he was running out of time. The longer he waited, the more chance there would be of Jewel getting into trouble. She could be captured again, or worse.

He shuddered, trying not to think about that particular thought.

"Uncle Blu, what are we looking for?" One of the kids, Sofia, asked him.

"Jewel. We're looking for Jewel," he said hollowly.

"Where is she?"

_If I knew, kid, I'd already be there, _Blu thought sadly.

"Maybe she's at The Branch?" one of them offered.

"Yeah! Everybody goes to The Branch!" another one piped up. It was hard to tell who was talking with 17 identical faces around you.

"Look, kids, I know your father likes to go to the club, but it doesn't mean that she'll be—" he stalled midsentence.

_The Branch. We danced together there. It was lively. It was exciting._

"Blu?" they asked.

"Come on. We're going to The Branch."

* * *

><p>Jewel was drifting in and out of consciousness. Her wing had gone numb; she didn't know whether that was a good or bad thing. She kept murmuring words she did not understand to herself, in an effort to stop the throbbing.<p>

_Why? Why is my head hurting so much?_

She started to see things. She saw a dark figure walking past the alley. The silhouette stopped, backtracking. She couldn't see the person clearly, but something in her gut started churning.

He looked familiar, somehow. But in her state of mind, she couldn't place it. She only knew that it wasn't good when the figure approached her calmly, looking into her eyes.

Without a word, the figure put his hands on her and lifted her off the stony floor, with the necklace still caught on her leg. She didn't even have the energy to struggle or resist. The last thing she saw was a glimmering metal object in the figure's right hand.

Then she passed out.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** The next chapter will be the last. If you have the time to review, please do. I'd appreciate the comments, advice, and criticisms that you may have, because it will benefit me as a writer, which will let me write more better quality stories for people to read. It's a win-win for everybody, right?


	3. Carry You Home

**A/N:** I will be going on a holiday for a week, so I thought i'd give the final chapter of Hot Chocolate. I am not a spectacular writer, but I hope my story has pleased you enough. Thank you for reading this story, and a special thanks to all who've reviewed. Mildirk, Mord44, Elyahu, dracowing14 and WolfOnFyre, I thank you personally. And to all who are reading as well.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: Carry You Home<strong>

The Branch was still crowded, filled with an assortment of birds, laughing and partying away. Currently, there was no one taking centre stage, so the patrons turned to drinking to their heart's content for entertainment.

Blu frowned disapprovingly as he stepped in with Rafael's children. He wouldn't have brought them here if he had the choice, but something seemed to call out to him. He had a strong feeling Jewel was close.

"Wow…" the children said collectively, gazing intently at their colourful surroundings. Blu did another headcount, telling himself—for the umpteenth time—he was never going to have 17 children.

"Keep close, kids." Somehow, being put in charge of children gave Blu a different sense of responsibility—to care for them. He wondered if this was what it would be like, to take care of his own children.

_I need to find Jewel first. That's all that matters._

He herded the captivated children through the crowd, being careful not to let them disturb any of the patrons. Some of them were much bigger than himself, and he knew it wasn't wise to pick a fight with them.

"…You should've seen her dance!" One patron—a green parakeet—laughed, a little too loudly. Blu suddenly perked up, stopping the children.

"How good could it have been?"

"It was amazing! It's like she's a regular here. Thing is, I've never seen her before. And she was beautiful, too. Man, if I had a chance, I'd—"

"Hi guys!" Blu interrupted, stepping between them. The green parakeet looked rather offended by Blu's sudden intrusion. The other bird rolled his eyes and stepped away from them, heading towards the bar.

"What do you want?" The parakeet replied tersely.

"I was just wondering whether that bird you were talking about was someone I'm looking for."

"It's none of your business, blue-boy."

Blu took a deep breath, continuing to maintain a straight face.

"Please, I need your help. This bird you saw, was she a blue macaw? Did she look like me?"

"I told you, it's none of your business. Get out of here," he growled, turning his back on him.

The kids watched the exchange silently, waiting to see Blu's next move.

Blu's eyes narrowed. What was he doing here? He should be out there looking for Jewel. Instead he was sitting in a bar, arguing with a stubborn and inebriated bird. He stepped forward and calmly turned the parakeet around, staring him in the eye.

"Look, I just want to know whether you've seen her. She means a lot to me, and I need to know if she's okay. Is that too much to ask?"

The parakeet laughed, pushing Blu off himself, stumbling a little as he did so.

"Get out of here, freak. You've got nothing over me."

Blu's eyes glowered, as he took a step closer. In one swift motion, he threw the parakeet to the floor, gripping his neck with his talons.

"Okay, I don't have time for this. Tell me where she is, or I let you go."

There was an awkward silence that filled the entire club.

"That came out wrong, didn't it," he asked. All 17 children nodded. Blu face palmed.

"You're a joke, you know that?" the parakeet laughed, getting up and pushing Blu backwards.

"Okay, let me try again. Tell me what you know…or…I…" he looked around. "Or…I unleash the wrath of these children on you." The children chirped cutely. The parakeet burst into hysterics.

"Are you kidding me? What can they possibly do?"

5 minutes later, he was on the ground, desperately gasping for air.

"Okay okay, I give!" The parakeet choked. "I saw her—she looked just like you. She was sleeping outside in the alley. Just a few minutes ago." He spoke in quick bursts. "I was going to go to her, but someone got to her first, okay? He took her away, and I don't know where they went after that!" he hacked, choking on his own words.

"What did he look like?" Blu demanded.

"I don't know!" the parakeet cried out. "He was holding something; a knife, I think. Please spare me!"

Blu motioned for the children to get off him. They obeyed, but not before pulling out a few more feathers.

"Oh boy." Blu groaned. It was official; Rafael was _definitely _going to have his head.

He left the club, and the gasping parakeet behind. Oddly, nobody seemed to give them a second glance during the entire 'conversation'. The parakeet struggled to get up and lumbered over to the bar, where his other friend was casually drinking away.

"So," his friend said, "was that really all true?"

"I dunno," the parakeet mumbled. "Don't talk to me about this. I need a drink." He called the waiter over and made his order.

_I'm never making fun of another blue bird here, _he thought.

* * *

><p>Jewel opened her eyes just a crack. The world was still spinning, and she couldn't tell if she was still being carried. She felt a hand grasping her, holding her tight. She cried out weakly. Struggling to move, she looked up, and saw the same dark brown eyes staring at her.<p>

The grip tightened, and she cried out louder.

_Help…_

Her right wing burned. Her left wing was numb. Fuelled by pure fear, she started thrashing wildly, in an effort to escape. But it was futile. She was too weak, and in her current state, there was no chance of escape by flight. With that horrifying cognition, the adrenaline no longer enough to maintain her struggles, she slowly stopped resisting, breathing erratically.

She felt something tugging at her foot, and remembered the necklace that was caught on her leg when she flew off. Was that it? Was that why she was in this situation? Was that the reason she was going to die?

There was a flash of metal before her eyes, and she shut them, bracing for the pain.

It took the whole of three seconds before it came. It felt like fire where the metal touched. She inhaled sharply, feeling her own blood trickling down her wing. It was unbearable.

She tried not to think of the pain, and thought about something else. In some ironic cliché, her life flashed before her eyes. The memories did not come from the times when she was a chick, nor did they come from the time when she despised humans. Instead, the memories that came were simple ones, of happier times.

_Blu._

She jerked, feeling another sting in her wing. She was fading, but she still clung tightly onto the memories.

_Blu…you taught me how to laugh again. You taught me how to forgive…and love again._

She remembered Blu: Meeting him, travelling with him, falling in love with him. His profound naivety and sincere heart were what captivated her, attracted her to him. She knew he felt the same way, wholeheartedly.

She remembered Tulio, caring for her like she was his own child. She remembered his soft, gentle touch, and his heart of gold. He'd never meant her any harm, but for the most part, she'd been unreceptive and stubborn, too blinded by her hatred of humans.

Another stab of pain in her wing momentarily interrupted the reminiscence, but she still pressed on.

She remembered the time Blu brought her over to Linda's new bookstore. It had only been two weeks ago. The memories were flooding in now. Laughing at his antics, having dinner under a romantic candlelight…deciding to have children with him…

_I…I won't be able to keep that promise…_

The only feelings that she felt right now, were sadness…and regret. There was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to do. But she knew it was her own fault that she'd gotten into this mess.

_I'm so sorry, Blu…please forgive me…_a single tear ran down her cheek. She told herself she wasn't going to cry—she was too tough for that. But still, the tears flowed freely.

There was another stinging sensation, but it didn't hurt so much this time. Maybe, she thought.

Maybe, it was time.

Blu sliced through the air, his eyes and mind more focused than ever. Rafael's 17 children flew by his side, doing exactly the same.

"Come on, Jewel. You've gotta be around, I know you're here." He kept repeating to himself. He knew she was a strong bird, but from what he'd heard, it sounded like…well, it didn't sound too good.

"There! I see them!" one of the chicks shouted excitedly. Blu and the others glanced down, and sure enough, a man was sitting alone on the sidewalk, a silver knife clutched in his right hand. His back was faced to them. His left arm was in front of his chest, blocked from Blu's point of view.

"Jewel!" he called.

Burning with unparalleled rage, Blu flew higher, ready to dive down.

"Blu!" Rafael yelled. He flew up towards him alone. Nico and Pedro weren't with him. "We found Jewel!"

"I know," Blu growled. "I'm going to get her back." He dived at the man, talons brandished.

"Wait, Blu, don't!" But he was already halfway there.

The person sitting on the sidewalk didn't notice Blu flapping his wings furiously, propelling himself towards him. He was so engrossed in the object in his left hand that he didn't notice until Blu smashed straight into the back of his head. He tumbled forward, the knife sent flying a distance away. For a moment, it glinted in the moonlight, and Blu saw blood, causing his own to run cold.

He turned to the person, with unbridled fury coursing through his veins. He lunged at him, grabbing his throat with his talons, which were way too small for the job. He didn't care. This person had hurt Jewel, and he was going to pay.

"You! Get off me, you!" Lexus shouted. He smacked Blu across the face with a backhand, sending him tumbling to the ground. Blu didn't spend too much time there. He jumped back up, his eyes frantically searching for Jewel. Then, he saw her feather in his pocket.

"Jewel! No!" It was definitely him. He screeched at Lexus, his eyes tearing up in anger. He flew straight towards him.

"I have had just about enough of you!" Lexus screamed. He brought back his fist, before throwing it full force at Blu. Blu couldn't stop or pull up. There was a horrible smacking sound as the blow connected, sending Blu spiralling backwards, hitting the ground with a sickening thud.

Blu wasn't thinking straight. He saw stars. He tried to get up, but he couldn't find the energy to. His feathers were dishevelled and messy, and there was dirt all over them. He blinked rapidly, trying to pull himself together. Then he saw the human walking up towards him.

_Get up, get up Blu!_

He couldn't. He tried to move, but his body wouldn't budge.

_Jewel, I'm sorry. I wasn't strong enough…_

Then, a figure blocked his view. Lexus stopped walking.

Rafael had flown between the two of them, holding out his wings as if declaring both sides to stop.

"R-Rafael?"

He gazed into Lexus' eyes, not with anger, but with understanding. He apologetically nodded, before picking Blu up in his talons and flying off.

Lexus, too stunned to react, let them go.

"Blu! What were you doing! Why did you attack him?" Rafael shouted as he carried the defeated blue macaw through the skies.

"He…he took Jewel!" Blu gasped. "We need to go back!"

"No he didn't. Jewel's with Linda and Tulio."

"What? But…how?" He was completely discombobulated. But it soon gave way to immense worry.

"Is she okay?"

"I don't know. I think they're doing their best to save her. I heard she lost quite a lot of blood."

Blu palled.

"Relax. She's a strong bird. I'm sure she'll be fine. Look, I'll explain later. You've got a nasty bruise on your chest. We need to deal with that first."

"Jewel..."

"And by the way, you didn't tell me you took my children on a joy ride through town," he said flatly.

"Um…er…"

"It's okay daddy!" one of his chicks chirped. "We had fun! Uncle Blu was great!"

"Yeah! I want to play with him again!"

Rafael turned, his eyes widening. He looked at Blu incredulously.

"What did you do to them? Is it some sort of drug? Did you mind control them?" he whispered.

"Well, it was just—"

"Never mind. Let bygones be bygones, alright?" Rafael laughed, smiling a little too widely. "Okay kids, you can play with uncle Blu anytime you want!

"Yay!" they cheered.

"Well, that's great, Rafael—wait, WHAT?"

* * *

><p>Lexus Quirk was cursing his insanely bad luck. He'd accidentally landed his palm on a broken wooden box in an alley where he saw blue feathers resembling that of the blue macaw he was chasing, and ended up with a large splinter in his palm. He tried to pry it out with the dinner knife—admittedly, not one of his better ideas—but only ended up getting attacked by <em>another <em>blue macaw.

His neck was now scratched and red. At the very least, the splinter was out. But his key was still missing. Without it, his car was as good as dead. He just decided to give up. There was no way he was going to find it.

Using his clean hand, he rubbed his temples, lowering his gaze to the floor, mourning his lost car, and his life.

He froze.

In front of him, right between his legs, was his car key. It was perfectly clean, and unscathed.

_No…that's impossible._

He whipped his head around, trying to see where it came from. There was no way it could have appeared there without him noticing. He stood, feeling a sense of fear he'd never felt before. He shuddered, bending down to slowly retrieve his key. He hesitated to touch it, as if it was a bomb. He gulped and swiped it up in one motion, holding his breath.

Nothing happened.

He exhaled, tucking the key into his coat pocket.

_I've got to get out of this city, _he thought, the first time since coming to Rio de Janeiro.

* * *

><p><em>Am I dead? <em>Jewel thought. There was murmuring around her.

"_I think she's waking…"_

_Blu, can you hear me?_

"_Blu, I think she's waking up."_

_Blu…_

_Blu…_

Jewel gasped and opened her eyes suddenly, jerking upright. The pain struck back full force, and she whimpered weakly.

"Hey, relax. Relax, Jewel." There was a hand, guiding her back onto the bed. She complied, gazing up at the person who was talking. It was Fernando, and Tulio was beside him. Everything was hazy. A million questions were tumbling about in her head, but she had to settle for rest first.

"She's awake. Let her drink the medicine, Fernando." Fernando nodded, bringing a bowl to Jewel's beak. He coaxed her to drink it, and she agreed without any resistance.

Almost instantly, she felt better. The liquid that ran down her throat seemed to ebb the pain in her head. She murmured peacefully.

"Jewel…" she turned, and saw Blu, his body wrapped in bandages, lying next to her. A flood of emotions rushed through her.

He embraced her, being mindful of her injured wing. It was also wrapped cleanly in bandages, and it smelled of iodine.

"You're alive…You're alive." he whispered.

"I'm alive…" Jewel whispered back, stunned.

"Oh Jewel, you have no idea how worried I was about you. I'm so sorry I couldn't find you faster. This is all my fault…"

"It's not, it's not…" she replied, "But…Blu, you…"

"Hero here misunderstood the situation," Rafael said, stepping forward. Blu let go of her. She suddenly realized everybody was in the room with her, including Rafael's 17 children.

"It was Fernando who found you," Rafael explained. "He was walking back here when he found you lying unconscious in an alley. It was quite a stroke of luck, actually. Any later, and you probably would have lost too much blood."

"F-Fernando?" she turned to see him. Sweat was running down his face, soaking his singlet, which was slightly stained with her blood. She looked at her wing.

"But the pain…"

"They had to remove the splinters sooner or later. They tried not to hurt you too much." He pointed at the bedroom's table, at a bowl of blood-covered wooden splinters.

"Are you okay, Jewel?" Fernando asked, kneeling down so he was looking at her eye to eye. Something stirred within Jewel when she saw him.

Sniffling, she ran and embraced him, crying. This time however, they were tears of joy.

"Thank you, thank you Fernando…"

Fernando was stunned; he didn't expect such a form of thanks from the usually tough and fiercely independent macaw. He hesitantly stroked her, feeling her soft feathers on his skin. She didn't resist, instead pressing closer to him.

He smiled at finally doing something right by Jewel. Finally, he had made amends for his mistake.

"Whoa," Pedro said, mouth agape.

"Never thought I'd see her do something like that," Nico added, stunned. Seeing the bird who was as tough as nails crying and openly showing her emotions was quite a pleasant surprise for them.

"Alright Jewel, don't push your wing, okay?" Tulio said, stepping forward and retracting her wing from Fernando. "You won't be able to fly for a few days, so I—" he didn't finish. Jewel jumped straight into his arms and hugged him as well, cooing softly.

"Okay…" he turned to Linda. "That was really unexpected."

"I think that means she really trusts you now. Isn't that great?"

"Yeah, it is." He stroked her back. "Your wing isn't going to heal for a few days. Are you okay with staying here?"

Suddenly, Jewel could see why this man was so loved by the birds he cared for. He had personally gone out searching for her in the stifling Brazilian night, even though he had no obligation to. He was so selfless, putting her in front of his own comfort.

She'd never felt this…unguarded, before in her life. She was completely vulnerable, but she didn't care. The layers of ice around her heart were finally melting away for good, in the presence of the people she now knew loved and cared for her.

"Thank you_,_ Tulio," Jewel whispered.

He set her back down on the bed, where Blu watched, an amused smirk on his face.

"What?" she said defensively.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just thought you looked really cute hugging them like that. So much for 'you can't trust humans', huh?"

Jewel blushed under her feathers. "I guess." She never thought she'd ever let herself act like that, and yet she had. She looked at Blu and cocked her head, puzzled.

"Hold on, Blu. If they saved me, how did you end up like that?"

"Him? He attacked someone he thought had taken you," Pedro said.

"He attacked someone?" Jewel asked, surprised.

"Yeah, and got his butt kicked." Nico whispered. They both snickered.

"Blu, that's crazy! You know you can't fight."

"That's not true! I am perfectly capable of handling myself in close quarters combat."

"You flew straight into a fist, Blu," Rafael said flatly.

"That did not happen. Don't talk to me." Blu turned away in shame. Jewel laughed, another small tear falling from her eye as she nuzzled him, also being mindful of his wounds.

She flinched a little; the throbbing in her head, although less severe, still was rather painful. Blu guided her slowly to rest on the bed.

"I guess I'm never drinking hot chocolate again…" she managed weakly.

"It wasn't hot chocolate," Blu replied.

"What?"

"Well, the first cup you drank was hot chocolate. The second cup was filled with Tulio's medicine."

"Medicine?"

"Yeah. It's that medicine for paralyzed birds." He showed her the bottle of pills.

Tulio saw Blu motioning to the medicine, and started explaining.

"The medicine is for birds who've lost motor skills in any part of their body. It stimulates the nervous system, to help them move their limbs again. Well, it gives them some sort of 'sugar rush'. The problem is that headaches can happen as a side effect. That's why I gave you a suppressant." He took a pause.

"Another problem with the medicine is that it's extremely bitter. It tastes horrible, so nobody would ever want to drink it. Then, I saw Linda's sweet hot chocolate. I thought: why not put the two of them together? In any case, I guess it works, seeing that you drank the whole thing." Jewel looked away sheepishly.

"There's no one injured here. Who were you going to test the medicine on?" Linda asked.

"Well, myself, of course." Tulio said it as if it were an obvious fact.

"You were planning to test bird medicine on yourself?"

"Absolutely! Did you expect me to test it on a bird?"

Linda had no comeback.

"Anyway, next time you should put your experiments further away from the food," Linda chided.

"And next time, you shouldn't be so greedy. I could have always given you my share." Blu chided.

"Sorry," both Tulio and Jewel mumbled.

"I'm sorry I ruined your birthday, Blu…" Jewel said remorsefully.

"Well, it's not over yet, you know."

"What?" she glanced at the clock. It was 11.20 p.m.

"Yup, it's still my birthday. For another 40 minutes, at least."

"Oh Blu…" Jewel said sadly. "Can I make this up to you in any way?" She thought for a moment. Something was coming to her mind.

"What about a present?"

"You got me a present?" Blu asked. Jewel nodded, and pointed next to the bowl of splinters, at the necklace. One of Rafael's children—Marco—brought it over and dropped it in front of Blu.

"Is that an Ipanema necklace? Those things are supposed to bring good luck!" Tulio exclaimed.

"Where did you get this, Jewel?" Blu asked, surprised. He examined the silver chain.

"Er…I sort of _got_ it." She remembered the entire scene with Lexus and shuddered. "Anyway, Blu?"

"Yeah?" he looked up. When he did, Jewel kissed him on his beak. It wasn't just a short peck on the beak. It was a full, long, deep kiss. They shared that passionate moment together, their eyes closing as they did so. The necklace fell away from her wing. It went forgotten.

Two blue macaws, both wrapped in bandages, kissing. It was quite romantic.

"You know, you could learn a thing or two from them," Linda said to Tulio.

Without another word, Tulio kissed her, the same way Jewel did.

The rest of the adults in the room ginned and exchanged nudges, while the children the chicks shielded their eyes and went "Ew…"

Pedro looked at Nico. He started backing away.

"I don't know what you're thinking, but you'd better not be thinking what I'm thinking you're thinking."

After what seemed like forever, Blu broke the kiss.

"I think that's the best birthday present you could have given me."

"Mm-hmm. I hope that necklace brings you good luck, Blu."

"I meant the kiss. And besides, I don't need good luck, Jewel. I have you."

They smiled.

"Okay, it's cake time!" Linda announced.

"Cake?" Blu and Jewel asked.

"Of course!" Nico replied. "No birthday party is complete without cake!"

"Well, I think it should be enough for all of you…" she looked at the 17 chicks, who were grinning at her expectantly. She turned to Tulio.

"How in the world did we ever end up having a canary, a cardinal, and 18 toucans in our house?" Tulio shrugged.

"Bird net, remember?"

She set the cake on the table in front of the two blue macaws and lighted the candles on the cake.

"Happy birthday, Blu!" Everybody in the room cheered. Blu and Jewel exchanged silly grins.

It was chocolate cake.

* * *

><p><strong>1 day later<strong>

Lexus Quirk sat in his seat on flight AN94, waiting for it to take off. Looking out the plane window, he saw more native Rio birds flying in the high sky. He turned away, shutting the window shades. Glancing at his hand, which was cleanly bandaged, he shook his head forlornly.

_What a horrible holiday. At least it's finally over._

He imagined his colleagues having the last laugh, and he hated that. He didn't even manage to enjoy his last day there. He was injured, and on top of it, he lost the 'lucky' necklace he'd bought. So much for lucky, he thought.

He leaned back in his chair and opened his backpack, pulling out the paperback book he'd brought with him to Rio. For the second time in two days, something came out with the object he pulled out. This time, it was a beautiful light blue feather.

_Isn't this from that blasted bird?_

"Wow!" someone exclaimed from beside him. He turned. A young brown-haired man was looking excitedly at the feather in his hand.

"Is this feather yours?" he asked.

"Well I—"

"Did you know that this is the feather of the rare endangered blue macaw? You must have been so lucky to have seen it!"

"Sure. Lucky." Lexus rolled his eyes.

"Look, I'm an avid bird feather collector. I'll pay you for that feather. What do you say?"

"You want to pay me for this feather?"

"Of course! Look, I'm not going to cheat you. I'll pay you this much." The man pulled out a thick wad of local currency. Lexus gasped; the notes were worth about two thousand dollars in United States currency.

"Not enough?" the man asked. He pulled out a few more dollar bills. Lexus stopped him.

"No, no, no. It's enough. Thank you." He passed the feather to the elated man, who gave him the wad of notes. He cheered, carefully stroking the feather and inspecting it from every angle as he took his seat further back in the plane.

"That was unexpected," Lexus said to no one in particular as he looked at his newly earned cash. He tucked it into his bag and returned to his book.

"Oh darn it, I've lost my bookmark." He rummaged through his bag, but couldn't find it. Then he saw something. Pulling it out, he realized it was another feather from the blue macaw, but it was slightly darker than the one he just sold. He thought of selling it, but when he looked at it again, he realized that it was indeed quite magnificent as the man had said.

He shrugged, slipping the feather between the pages. It was a perfect bookmark.

Lexus chuckled.

_Perhaps that necklace is lucky after all._

Fin

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Wow. This is the first story I've ever finished. I had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope you've all had a fun time reading it as well. There will be more stories, but for now, I'm taking a break.

Just some people I'd like to thank. Mildirk, for persuading me to write this story, and Arkazu, for being my faithful editor. Without them, this story would not have been posted.

A few facts I thought I'd share. The chapters' names were inspired by songs I listened to while I was writing. They also gave me some inspiration for the content of each chapter. Chapter 1 was inspired by 'High', a song written by James Blunt. Chapter 2 was inspired by Jay Sean's 'Down', and Chapter 3 was inspired by James Blunt's 'Carry You Home'.

I'm thinking of accepting story requests for Rio as a challenge to myself. If there's any idea you have, leave it in a review, or pm me. If I like it, I'll take a shot at it, and I'll let you know.

And finally, I would like to give my thanks again to all those who read this story, and to those who reviewed. Until next time!

_Anillio Natson_


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